Fanie de Villiers offers help to struggling Mitchell Johnson

Former South African swing bowler Fanie de Villiers is ready to help out-of-form Australian pacer Mitchell Johnson.

Written by Indo-Asian News Service

Read Time: 2 mins

Sydney:

Former South African swing bowler Fanie de Villiers is ready to help out-of-form Australian pacer Mitchell Johnson.

Johnson has hardly troubled the South African batsmen in the ongoing Test series in South Africa. He has ended up with match figures of 2-168 in the second Test and is in danger of being axed for the upcoming series against New Zealand and India.

In a bid to recapture his form, Johnson shortened his run-up midway through the second Test in Johannesburg but that too proved futile as the Proteas played him with ease.

De Villiers, now a renowned bowling analyst, has kept a keen eye on the South Africa and Australia series and believes the Queenslander can bounce back from his recent slump in form with right mentoring.

"I would like to help him, I was a swing bowler for 19 years ... guys like myself and Wasim Akram used to spend hours and hours analysing swing bowling," de Villiers was quoted saying by the Courier Mail.

"I can give him good advice. I really hope Mitchell gives me a ring. If he rings me, I can tell him what he needs to do. He needs to change.

"He needs to understand the way you run in, the way you bowl, how to use angles, and I don't think he understands it," he added.